A Dangerous Kind of Hot
by want2bemassie111
Summary: Guess he didn't get the memo. I let my flame evaporate and stuffed the hand in my pocket, turning around. He was kind of hot. Not the BAM! sort of hot that most jocks possessed, but the slow kind of hot that creeps up on you and one day you realized you're in love with the guy. And that was a very dangerous kind of hot. WarrenxOC M for language
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own this shit. That will be all.**

**Chapter 1**

As usual, I was awake at five on the dot. No alarm necessary. My body had this revenge cycle going on. I would push it, staying up till two or three in the morning, then it would wake me up at five.

Eh, I learned to survive on minimal sleep from an early age.

I sat against my headboard and blindly pushed play on my iPhone. My phone screamed out the lyrics to an extremely inappropriate 3OH!3 song, and I quickly plugged in my headphones. Crap. Technology was out to get us all.

I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and pulled on the clothes I had laid out the night before after my shower. The outfit was simple, dark jeans that hugged my legs, red top that made my boobs look good, flame resistant leather jacket. I decided to dress up a little bit for my first day and slipped on some black heels.

Ah, my first day. I was dreading Power Placement.

Rumors were around that another pyro was in our class. Perfect.

I grabbed a big leather tote that would double as my book bag and headed down stairs. I made myself a cup of black coffee and added a single spoonful of sugar. I really _was_ a morning person, but the idea of eating and hour after you woke up did not settle well with me. So I stuck with coffee.

I pushed all the light brown hair on my head to the left side and slid on the dragon necklace I had left on the counter. I gazed at my reflection in the microwave and felt a wave of guilt. I wanted to leave the house before my mom saw what I was wearing. The dark colors contrasted greatly with my stick straight light hair and sweet blue eyes.

And I knew I was anything but sweet.

I clicked down the hall and swung open the door, yelling a quick good-bye to my sister who was groggily walking down the stairs.

She got to wake up late and go to a normal high school. As my grandma would say, lucky duck.

I shoved the phone into my back pocket and slipped the white headphones into my ears. The walk to the bus stop was short, but I was surprised that I hadn't tripped and fallen on the unforgiving cement yet.

Two boys were waiting at the stop. One was short and stocky, the other tall and lean. They were doing that play fight/wrestling thing that guys did and I rolled my eyes. It was just getting light out, and the bus was still to be seen. The short and stocky guy looked up at me and wolf whistled. He got up at lightning speed and plucked the right bud out of my ear and placed it in his.

The taller guy reached him arm out to an unnatural length and plucked out the left one.

"Well, then, what are we listening to? Some Taylor Swift maybe?" They both cringed as the blaring lyrics of a Hollywood Undead song met their eardrums. They all so willingly put the buds back into my outstretched palm.

The tall guy flipped his hair out of his eyes. "I'm Lash, this is Speed. What's your power?" Not even my name? Asshole. I put the buds into my ear and flipped him off, lighting my middle finger on fire. A glint of anxiety lit up in their eyes and I smiled innocently, lowering my hand as the bus pulled up.

They still looked slightly nervous and let me onto the bus first. I took a seat near the middle on the left side and placed my bag on the seat next to mine, lest either of them got the wrong idea. We went around to a few other bus stops, and at the last one, a boy with long dark hair and combat boots got on. He had a messenger bag over one shoulder and a look that could kill.

I'm guessing he was the other pyro.

And unfortunately for me, the last empty bus seat was right behind me.

He swung into the bench and off the glare of the window, I could see his reflection. His actions mirrored mine, headphones in, with his head against the window. His hair fell in front of his face, hiding his features. I pressed my nails into my thigh at the nagging part of my mind, begging to read his thoughts. I resisted, figuring that if the guy wanted to keep his air of mystery and if he wanted to be left alone, then who was I to judge and invade?

After all, I wanted the same thing.

We began down a construction ramp, and a harness-like belt contraption slid over my chest. We were thrown off the edge of the unfinished stretch of road. I kept my face smooth of emotion, but gripped the bar in front of me till my knuckles were white.

Well, whiter than usual.

I glanced in the window reflection again, and noticed that although his face was still hidden, the guy's hands were in the same position as mine. With a rush of curiosity, I also noticed a peek of a flame tattoo under his sleeve.

He was probably only fifteen at the most, because something told me that he wouldn't be one to flunk out.

So that was totally illegal, right?

I didn't really have time to mull over the situation as the bus landed with a jolt on top of a floating school. That's pretty cool. We all attempted to pile off, and I was one of the few that weren't threatening to puke their guts up. We started the normal flow of people trying to get off the bus, and the flame-tattoo-guy almost ran me over trying to get off. I slipped out at the right time and he stopped on his heel to avoid starting a domino-effect of falling bodies.

"Move girl." He commented in a gruff voice. Well it was gruff for a freshman. I turned my back to him and waited for the people in front of me to start moving at anything other than the speed of stop. He grabbed my arm and spun me around, lighting his other hand on fire, trying to threaten me.

Suspicions confirmed. This _was _the other pyro.

I must have looked bored, because the flame started to glow brighter and travel up his wrist. I did the same thing that I did with the guys earlier and lifted my middle finger, lighting it on fire. He extinguished his flame and lowered his grip on my arm, using the hand to push a side of his hair behind his ear. I finally got a look at his face.

Strong jaw, super dark eyes, high cheekbones, and a faint darkening of the skin over his chin, telling me that he had probably started shaving already. The only thing out of place was the single line between his eyebrows as a glint of confusion crossed his face. Guess he didn't get the memo. I let my flame evaporate and stuffed the hand in my pocket, turning around.

He was kind of hot. Not the _BAM!_ sort of hot that most jocks possessed, but the slow kind of hot that creeps up on you and one day you realized you're in love with the guy.

And that was a very dangerous kind of hot.

The line finally started moving, and I was grateful, because I could feel the inquisitive stares that were boring into my hair.

Yet again, I was amazed that I hadn't totally wiped out in these shoes. Bus stairs are tricky.

We all clumped together in a loose group and a tall blonde boy wearing a pink sweater vest introduced himself as Matt, the head of the welcoming committee. He led us into the gym and a cute guy with a guitar winked at Matt as he guided the group. Our leader blushed, and I thanked my lucky stars that this would probably more like a normal high school than I thought, complete with the adorable gay couples.

Unfortunately, this meant that there was probably a bully or two that would make themselves known by the end of the day.

Matt led us to the gym and we were greeted by Principal Powers, in all her skirt suited glory. She gave us a speech about the school, rules, regulations, standards, and finally, Power Placement. She left in a white ball of light, and Matt flew after her, still in a human form, leaving us alone. We all sprung around at the sound of machinery. Me being at the back of the group when Powers gave her speech, I was suddenly the first to encounter the bare knees of our gym teacher and Power Placement guide, Coach Boomer.

He gave a short intro and Sonic-ed us for the first time. I held my ground, as did a few others, and let the wave push my hair back from my face. He called up a guy who could make tornadoes out if thin air and some dust and dirt; he was labeled a hero. A petite girl who could shift into a hummingbird was doomed to the title of sidekick.

Or hero-support if you were politically correct.

He called me up and I took the stairs up to the platform with confidence.

"State your name and power."

"I'm Kendra Sharpe. Pyrokinetic and mind reader."

"Huh, okay, power up."

I had been practicing. I lit a small flame in the palm of my hand and took in a huge breath. I blew on the flame as if I was blowing out a candle, but instead of going out, it grew. The flame took on a slender shape and transformed into a dragon, spreading out to take up a ten foot wingspan and fly over the heads of my soon-to-be-classmates. They all ducked except for flame-tattoo-guy who just stared at me in anger. The heat was incredible, and I saw the Coach sweating. It exploded on the other end of the gym in an array of orange sparks.

Everyone looked at me in awe, except for flame-tattoo-guy, who was glaring at me. Coach Boomer collected himself.

"Okay missy, let's see your mind reading skills. What am I thinking of?"

"You were thinking about dropping the car on my dragon to see it I could handle it." He nodded and wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Hero!" I smiled and made my way back to the group. A girl smiled at me. A boy with dorky glasses patted my back.

I resumed my original position and Boomer pointed to someone to my right. I looked over and lo and behold, flame-tattoo-guy walked up.

"State your name and power."

"Warren Peace. Pyrokinetic. No, I don't read minds."

"Power up." The Coach looked considerably less pleased with this boy Warren, and he had his lips in a hard line.

Flame-tat…., sorry _Warren_, flicked his wrists together as if they were flint and his arms lit on fire.

Out of nowhere the Coach yelled, "Car!" My eyes widened and Warren took a casual step back, missing being crushed by an inch. The car was pretty nice, probably once a racecar, but everything started go downhill fast as Warren thrust one of his hands through the pane-less window. His fist glowed as the interior of the car caught on fire. It was a small blaze, but he jumped off the platform, flames extinguished. He held his hand up in a stopping motion as a tall girl started to run towards the fire extinguisher.

She froze in her tracks and he turned his concentration back to the vehicle. He gazed at the flame, and it started to grow unnaturally. The car blazed for another few seconds before it imploded.

Coach mumbled, "Hero…" He sounded like he wanted to say something along the lines of "villain".

The girl abandoned her instructions, running towards the fire extinguisher. She was too late though, as another girl stepped forward. She had white blonde hair and dark grey eyes.

"Jenny Edwards. Ice-queen." A flurry of ice shot out of her open palms and encased the car, effectively putting out the flames.

Coach Boomer grudgingly named her a hero, and the car was lifted back up to the ceiling. Everything was pretty boring after that, and only a few more heroes were called out. The bell rang and Boomer ordered us to lunch, telling us to come back to finish up Power Placement when the next bell rang. I turned and made my way to the cafeteria, which we had passed on our way to the gym.

I didn't eat school lunch. Period.

And in my haste this morning, I forgot one. I sighed in defeat and fished my iPhone and a random fashion magazine out of my bag. I had gotten to the cafeteria before most of the people, so it wasn't hard to find a barren table. I sat down at the far corner and put in my headphones. I cranked the Nickelback song that was playing and checked my watch. Forty minutes to do nothing.

Fabulous.

I was about a quarter of the way through the magazine when I felt a presence sit across from me. I looked up through my lashes, and much to my dismay, Lash and Speed sat down. I sighed and ignored the two boys, holding the magazine to block their faces. Lash reached across and pulled on the top of the offending literature, wanting to see my face. I pulled out an ear bud with a bored expression on my face.

"Hey there Kendra." I eyed his obvious cocky smirk and, for this moment only, let my mind reach out to his.

_Sup mind reader?_

I was met with an unsettling mental picture of me in nothing but a bra and underwear. My expression settled on murderous, and I let my hand catch on fire.

"What do you want asshole?"


	2. Chapter 2

Lash took a look at my hand and smirked. I didn't sense any apprehension or fear. Speed's eyes were just as clear.

Fuck. Now I was going to prove myself.

"Well there missy. It's not really appropriate to use that kind of language on school grounds, now is it?" His smirk deepened, and I subdued the urge to start the crotch of his pants on fire. _That_ would teach him a lesson.

"I repeat, what do you want asshole?"

"Oh, we were just wondering, is a dragon the best you can do? Because what Peace did, well that was _something_. A dragon is just so girly. I bet you can't even throw a decent fireball." I semi-bared my teeth and my eyes clouded over in a red film. How dare he question my abilities!

"You two against me in Save the Citizen after Power Placement. Don't care who you give me. You're still gonna roast." I flicked a small fireball at Lash's shoulder and they stretched away and ran, respectively.

I pulled out my other headphone and finished the magazine in record time. I checked my watch again.

Fifteen minutes left. I sighed and grabbed my crap, leaving the crowded cafeteria. I went outside and walked around the side of the school. There was a little secluded corner by a basketball court. I sat on the ground and pulled my knees to my chest, putting in my headphones and searching for the song I wanted. It kicked off with the great bass/guitar solo at the beginning, and I started to sing softly under my breath.

_No is a dirty word,  
Never gonna say it first.  
No is just a thought that never crosses my mind._

_Maybe in the parkin' lot,  
Better bring your friend along,  
Better rock together than just one at a time._

_S is for the simple need,  
E is for the ecstasy,  
X is just to mark the spot, 'cause that's the one you really want…_

_Yes, sex is always the answer, it's never a question,  
'Cause the answer's yes, oh the answer's yes.  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question,  
Then it's always yes, Yeah!_

_I'm lovin' what you wanna wear,  
Wonder what's up under there,  
Wonder if I'll ever have it under my tongue._

_I'd love to try to set you free,  
I love you all over me,  
Love to hear the sound you make the second you're done._

_S is for the simple need,  
E is for the ecstasy,  
X is just to mark the spot, 'cause that's the one you really want…_

_Yes, sex is always the answer, it's never a question,  
'Cause the answer's yes, oh the answer's yes.  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question,  
Then it's always yes, Yeah!_

_Yeeeeah, yeah yeah!  
Yeeeeah, yeah yeah!  
Yeeeeah, yeah yeah!  
Yeeeeah, yeah!_

Enter kick-ass music…

_S is for the simple need,  
E is for the ecstasy,  
X is just to mark the spot, 'cause that's the one you really want…_

_Yes, sex is always the answer, it's never a question,  
'Cause the answer's yes, oh the answer's yes.  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question,  
Then it's always yes, _

_Yes, sex is always the answer, it's never a question,  
'Cause the answer's yes, oh the answer's yes.  
Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question,  
Then it's always yes, Yeah!_

_Yeeeeah, yeah yeah!  
Yeeeeah, yeah yeah!  
Yeeeeah, yeah yeah!  
Yeeeeah, yeah!_

_Yeeeeah, yeah yeah!  
Yeeeeah, yeah!_

_Yes…_

I set the song on repeat and noticed someone coming around the corner. My cheeks flushed slightly as the girl came closer, and I was grateful that I had stopped singing. My choir teacher once told me I had the voice of an angel, but I figured it would sound weird when it was singing a highly inappropriate Nickelback song.

To my dismay, the girl sat down a few feet to my left and stared at me until I pulled out my ear buds.

"What?" I snapped at her. I knew that I was just taking out my anger from Lash and Speed out on her, but she didn't really seem to care.

"You're Kendra aren't you? The pyro?" I nodded slowly and took in her appearance. She had super dark auburn hair and a denim skirt on. She looked like she should be valedictorian or something, not sitting next to me against the gross school walls.

"I'm Emma. Junior, Invisibility." I nodded in a sense of _go on, spit it out_. She reached into her shirt and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the depths of her bra. It was crumpled and there were only a few left. She tapped one out and returned the pack.

"Gotta light?" I shrugged and snapped my fingers, letting a small flame burst out from the tip of my fingernail. I held it under the white tip of her cigarette, and she leaned back, slowly inhaling and exhaling like a seasoned smoker. I huffed and she blew the smoke away from us. My flame disappeared under my skin.

"Huh, who would've guessed?" She smiled at me.

"Eh, the first day of school is always hard. Why make it any harder?"

I shrugged and sat back, placing the still blaring buds back in my ears. We sat in relative silence, aside from my music, and a few minutes later, the bell rung. She helped me up.

"Destroy the evidence?" I held the left over cigarette in my hand and it was scorched by a quick flash of heat. I dropped the ashes and wiped what remained on the side of my jeans.

"Thanks Kendra." She smiled and jogged off to her next class. I sighed and hoped this wouldn't become a regular thing. I shoved my phone and attached buds into the depths of my bag and walked casually back to the gym.

I walked in just as the bell was ringing.

The entire class looked at me. Everyone showed up on time. Even that Warren kid.

"So nice of you to join us Miss Sharpe." I shrugged and dropped my bag by the door. Boomer called up a few kids, including Lash and Speed, and labeled them heroes. There was a guy who was another mind reader. I raised my eyebrows and looked him over.

Brown hair, huge hazel eyes, pretty tall, not bad looking. One of his ears was pierced. He wasn't really my type though. His name was Eric, and as soon as he was labeled a hero, he came to stand by me. My eyebrows were still high on my face, but I managed to reach my mind out to his.

_Hey. I'm Eric._

_**I know. I'm Kendra. I've never met another mind reader before.**_

_It's kinda weird. Like my brain is jelly._

_**That's an odd observation. **_

_Well I'm an odd guy._

_**I feel like the unholy love child of you and Warren Peace. Totally creepy.**_

He laughed. _The guy is utterly hot though. He doesn't bat for the pink team. Boo!_

I blushed and laughed along._** You're right on that first statement. I've never had a gay friend before. Sounds like fun though.**_

_Who said we were friends?_

_**At least you didn't deny your gayness.**_

He laughed. _Touch__é__._

I laughed along. "Can we bring this back up to words? I crave normalcy." He smiled at me.

"Well then. I heard a little whisper that you challenged Lash and Speed to Save the Citizen. Care to share what compelled you to do that?" I put my head in my hands and ran my fingers through my hair.

"They were bashing on my power. My temper got ahead of my brain. But I always follow through. It's not a big deal if I lose. All I want to do is show them that I can kick ass."

He nodded. "I admire your bravery."

Coach Boomer interrupted our conversation. "Okay, we're going to kick it off with our first game of Save the Citizen! Speed, Lash, you'll be our first team," the Coach lovingly patted the twenty that was probably hiding in the pocket of his short shorts. "Okay, choose your opponents."

The boys smiled at me, a plan churning in their heads. Before I could get a good read, Lash spoke up. "We want Sharpe. And Peace."

I inwardly groaned and followed the three boys to the locker room, thankful that I had packed a gym bag last night. I stepped out and did a few practice steps while pulling my hair into a high ponytail. The armor was snug, and it would protect my vital organs and bones without hindering my movement.

I noticed the guys walking out, and I hung back by the wall to catch Warren. He had a deathly glare on his face, but it was aimed at the two boys ahead of him. I sidled up next to him and spoke in a soft tone.

"Wanna abandon the citizen all together? I don't know about you, but causing bodily harm is number one on my priority list." He looked over at me with that confused look again. "What? I'm just as angry as every other pyro, I just happen to have boobs too." He looked at me with an eyebrow cocked, but still managed to give a few words of confirmation.

"Sure. Why not?" I nodded and looked ahead at the arena that was rising from the ground. It had a plexiglass shield the whole way around, but it was designed to look like a city block. We entered and stood on the "Heroes" side. The Coach gave us our rules.

"Heroes, you have three minutes to save. The. CITIZEN!" We all moved into place.

"Ready. Set. BATTLE!" Warren and I each had a ball of fire waiting before the Coach even started. As soon as he yelled "battle," the fire had left our hands and was heading towards our opponents. Speed lost his footing and was promptly nailed in the torso by three other fireballs, courtesy of Warren. Lash tried to wrap his arms around me, but I smiled in faux-sweetness and flamed up my arms.

As he was trying to call a foul, I hit him in the back of the head with another handful of fire. He yelled out a curse word and stretched away. I glanced over to Warren and Speed, and noticed that Warren totally had it in the bag. He had figured out Speed's movement patterns, and fire was always waiting when he dodged away.

The gym was like an oven, and there were a few faint wisps of smoke where I missed Lash and ended up hitting a lamppost. I found him hiding behind a dumpster, and I flamed down. He stopped stretching, and we circled. I stopped, and took two steps forward. His eyes crinkled in amusement, and I caught a brief glimpse of his mental picture again before I punched him in the nose.

He fell on the ground and held his bleeding face. "Oh, that is so a foul." I shrugged and walked away as the class was counting down from the bleachers.

"Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!" A buzzer sounded, and I walked back to where Warren was. He was breathing hard, but by the looks of what he did to Speed, it could have been much worse. This pyro knew how to take a hit.

The Coach addressed us. "Heroes! Your citizen was mulched because you failed to save it."

"No shit Sherlock," I muttered under my breath. "He really needs to work on his lines." Warren gave a noncommittal grunt as we turned to walk back to the locker rooms, to, as Coach put it, "hit the showers."

I did take a shower, and pulled my still somewhat damp hair into a bun as I walked out to my bus. The bell had just rung, but spots were filling up fast. I found my bus, and was relieved to find it only about half full. With a little persuasion from my friend, the flaming hand, I was able to have a sidekick relocate and give me back my seat from this morning. I placed my bag on the seat next to me again, and I pulled out my headphones. I pressed play, and noticed that the song from lunch was still on repeat. I mentally shrugged to myself and leaned up against the windows.

The last person to get on the bus was Warren. He claimed the seat behind me, using the same method, and we started off the school. As soon as we landed on the construction ramp, the harness-belts slid away, and the normal chatter of a bus started away. We were only about five minutes into the trip back to the suburbs, when I was tempted to peek into Warren's mind again. I relented this time, and almost screamed by the intensity of his thoughts. My mental shields easily slid into place after the onslaught of raw emotion that comes with the fire coursing through your veins.

I turned up the volume as high as I could handle it to block out the noise. We were at his stop in a few minutes, and he exited without a glance back. I sighed, relieved, and leaned against the window for the rest of the ride. I tensed, and as soon as the bus was at a stop, I jumped out and ran to my house. I really wanted to avoid a run-in with Lash and Speed.

Sure, Warren and I could handle them, but alone, I was as good as gone.

I raced home and slowed down as I reached my front door. Speed probably could have easily caught me, but they were probably too bored to care. I unlocked the door and relished in the few minutes I got alone. I climbed up the stairs to my room and threw my bag by the door. Plugging my phone into my speakers, I set it on my dance playlist and started to pick out my clothes for tomorrow.

"Easy, black tee shirt, that small leather vest, black miniskirt with a flaming dragon up the right side. Red converse are a must, because your feet look like they were strangled in those heels." I spun around and saw my sister leaning against my doorframe. She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and she was involuntarily jingling her car keys in her hands. I smiled.

"Thanks Taylor. Wanna hear about my first day?" She squealed and hopped up on my bed.

"Yes! Tell me everything! How was Power Placement? Did you do that dragon thing? How about mind reading? Who'd you sit by on the bus? Or at lunch? Oh! The most important question. Meet any cute boys?" She stared at me with a look that I could only describe as giddy.

"Chill, but maybe," I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "I met a kinda cute guy. His name is Warren Peace, but he's really anti-social. Even more than me."

Her face paled. "Did you say Warren Peace?" I nodded. "Oh shit Ken-ken, he is bad news. His mom is Karen Peace, and his dad is Baron Battle. The Baron was put away just about three or four years ago. Apparently it's still a touchy subject."

I cocked an eyebrow. "And you would know this how? I thought _I_ was the one with superpowers."

She waved her hand in a dismissing manor. "I sat with this girl at lunch. Her younger brother is a super. As sophomore I think. That's not the point. I don't want you to get hurt, so don't hang out with Peace, okay? This is some legit shit." She shook her head and left my room, slinging her bag over her shoulder and closing the door behind her. I took off my jacket and flopped down on my bed, kicking off the disastrous pumps.

"How did I not know about Warren?"

**X**

**X**

**X**

**Review, review! What did ya think? That was just over six pages so… That little review box isn't there just for your amusement!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is dedicated to **_**alykat14**_** the only one to have reviewed all of my Sky High fics. You have provided tons of support, and I love you for it! Enjoy chapter three!**

As soon as Taylor left the room, I did what any teen girl who just found out the guy she is fascinated with (and maybe has a little crush on because of his leather jacket and amazing hair and those _lips_, but I digress); that his dad is a super villain.

I pulled out my laptop and started doing research.

Turns out that Warren Peace's dad is Barron Battle. He killed seventeen superheroes, fourteen sidekicks, and forty-one civilians. The Commander put him away. Quadruple life sentence.

Ouch.

It still doesn't change a thing.

His dad is his dad, and Warren is Warren. Just because he has his dad's power doesn't mean that he is destined to become a supervillain. But judging from my sister's reaction, that's not exactly a popular opinion. And from how Coach Boomer acted at power placement, most of the teachers felt scared as well.

_Although, from his glares, threats, and general anti-social tendencies, I wonder if he actually wants to be alone and feared. What if he actually wants to be a villain? What if…_

Yet again, I digress. Aside from my ramblings, there was only one other way to get the right answer.

I guess I'll just have to ask him.

I set the questions to the back of my mind and heard my mom yelling. "Dinner Kendra!" I looked down at my attire and frowned. Well so much for her not seeing my outfit.

I walked down the stairs and skipped the seventh, fourth, and first steps, knowing that they would squeak like no other if I stepped on them. My stomach grumbled and my dad chuckled from his spot at the table.

"Oh shush, I forgot lunch." I slid into my chair and my mom and sister weren't far behind. The rest of my family bent their heads in prayer, and as usual, I forwent sending thoughts to a God that I didn't believe in. Instead, I studied my family.

My mom was pretty, with her short and graying brown hair and her beautiful brown eyes that were currently closed. She is really pretty cool, and a listens to music that talks about sex and drugs. She's normal, but my grandma was a pyrokinetic.

My sister, Taylor, who is so totally cool, I can't believe I got so lucky to have her as a sister. She's leaving for college next year though, and I'll be left to find my outfits by myself. She has this gorgeous dark red hair (number 370) that is perfectly wavy, and a single blond streak on the left side. It perfectly complements the eyes she got from our mom.

Then my father, slightly chubby, but always wearing a smile. His eyes were the piercing blue copied on my face, and he had barely any hair left, but a moustache and short beard made up for it. His brother Chris is also a mind reader, and he came over on my birthday every year to help me practice. He's my best friend. I loved when he came over, because that was the only time I was allowed to use my powers. Ever.

Because the rest of my family is normal, I'm never allowed to use my powers. Not even to light a candle.

It's screwed up, but I still love my family. And our cat Freddie. He's totally black, and was nearly dead when we found him in our backyard. My sister and I took a liking to him, so my mom let us keep him. He's about five years old, and he lives under my bed. He's a great listener, and so completely sweet.

My sister has a guinea pig named Jiggle, and he lives in a cage at the foot of the bed. She compulsively cleans the cage, but whenever you walk into her room, the smell of small rodent is extremely overpowering. My sister also takes Jiggle on walks when it's not too hot or cold outside. She has a little harness thing attached to a leash and the guy absolutely loves it. It's really funny when you see them outside, a high school senior walking a guinea pig.

And that's my totally screwed up family.

My dad finished saying the blessing, and I grabbed a big spoonful of whatever was in front of me. I didn't really care what it was, because my mom's cooking always rocks.

"So ladies, how were your first days?" I glanced over at Taylor, and she nudged my leg with an almost imperceptible head shake. Then she launched into a story about two girls at school, a hot junior, and some very cold potato salad. She was blabbering the whole time, and I quickly scarfed down my food and made a move to leave the table.

Taylor went to take a breath and my mother turned to me with an expectant smile.

Crap.

"Well, the bus ride was…" _Scary, we flew, we did flips in mid-air, and I got in an altercation with another pyro,_ "…interesting."

"And? Make any friends?"

_Well I may have made an enemy of sorts…_ "Yeah, I met a girl named Emma at lunch, and another mind reader named Eric during Power Placement," I turned to my sister. "And, Eric was gay, so pay up." She frowned and slapped a ten in my palm. She made a bet with me about normal high school versus super high school, and this was one of the points.

My mom silenced my laughing and her arguing with a cold stare. "We _do not_ under any circumstances , mention powers in this house." To my surprise, Taylor was the one who blew up in her face.

"Mom? _Seriously?_ Ken-ken _has_ powers, and she goes to a special school so she can work on those powers. She will probably one day use her powers to save the world." She turned to me quickly.

"Wait, you made hero right?" I nodded, and she continued with her speech.

"Believe it or not, ever since Kendra was ten, powers have been a part of our lives, and your incessant control freak attitude isn't making it any easier. I'm surprised she even made hero, if it wasn't for the fact that I take her on my free time to the lake to practice. You won't even let her challenge herself, yet you always tell us to do our best. How is she supposed to do her best, when you try to meld her into something that she's not?

You won't even let her light a fucking candle. You didn't let her help Dad and I during the Fourth of July. We were in a _barren_ field. So no, your explanation of 'someone could find out' was totally not true. You tell us to express ourselves, but you make her lock away a part of her body and soul. So don't you dare tell her to not talk about powers. It would be impossible." She leaned back in her chair and let out a huge breath. My eyes were wide, and I was ready to make a run for it.

My mother calmly turned to face me.

"Is that all true?"

I gazed down at my lap and mumbled. "That's pretty much all that needed to be said." I stood up and grabbed Taylor's wrist, dragging her up the stairs. I threw her onto my bad and slammed the door. I was still facing the wood when I spoke.

"What the fuck Taylor? She is going to be totally pissed at both of us now. Don't get me wrong, it really needed to be said, but did you need to scream it at her over dinner." I looked over my shoulder and she was just smiling softly.

"Did you really make hero?" I sighed and flopped onto the bed.

"Taylor, you are so dense."

**XXXXXX**

I woke up Freddie laying across my eyes. His fur was soft and made a welcoming blindfold to the light I blindly turned on. He hopped off and stretched, making cute kitty noises. He scampered under my bed and to his cozy spot on a dirty shirt. I sighed and plugged my phone into my speakers and played the Hollywood Undead song Levitate, singing at the top of my lungs during the chorus.

_You know I can take you straight to heaven if you let me,  
You know I, I can make your body levitate if you let me,  
You know that I can make your body levitate, lev, levitate, tate  
I can make your body levitate, lev, levitate, you know_

I started getting dressed and put on some makeup, courtesy of Taylor's counter in the bathroom. I pulled on some leather ankle boots, and tossed my hair into a high ponytail. Before I left, I fed Freddie, grabbed my bag, and unplugged my phone from the speakers, tossing them in my purse with my headphones.

I hopped down the stairs, avoiding the squeaky ones, and walked into the kitchen. I packed some lunch, gulped down scalding coffee, and ran out the door. My sister screamed down a goodbye from the comfort of her bed, and I slammed the door with an eye roll. I put in my earbuds and started on the still unfamiliar route to the bus stop.

I spotted a weed in someone's lawn, and after making sure no one was around, I chared it to mere ashes. Assured that none of the grass had started on fire, I began towards the bus stop whistling. That was really fun.

Guess who was waiting for me at the stop. Yup, Speed and Lash. As soon as Lash spotted me, a mean sneer set on his face. His nose was slightly purple, and some of the hair on the back of his head was burnt off. I stifled a giggle and walked up to him with a barely contained smile, pulling out my headphones.

"Morning Lash. Feeling a little worse for wear?" I let a small chuckle slip and he took three steps towards me, glaring down from his tall frame.

"You _will_ pay for this Sharpe." I smirked at him.

"Really? In what? Detentions? I'll take it, because at least I don't have to look like _that_ for the better part of two weeks." He snarled at me and I spotted yellow out of my peripheral vision. "Oh and look, here the bus comes." I turned and walked on, leaving him fuming. I took my same place as yesterday and started to play some Maroon 5.

He was just too easy to get a rise out of.

As predicted, kids left Warren's seat open, and he got on at his stop. It was pretty hot today, so I forwent my leather jacket. Apparently, Warren had the same idea. I held back a gasp as he got on the bus.

Warren was wearing a "The Used: Lies for the Liars" album shirt. With short sleeves.

He must have had the best arms I had ever seen on a freshman in my entire existence.

I could clearly see the girls near the front of the bus ogling. I turned away, wanting desperately to not make him think I was one of those girls. His hair covered his face, but as he sat down, I used the reflection in the window to check him out. He spared a glance towards a group of girls towards the front. They started giggling, and he ran his hand through his hair, a confused and uncomfortable expression on his face.

This only made the girls giggle more. Not because of the expression, but because of the way he unconsciously flexed when he moved the hair out of his face. His biceps put most of the boys' on the bus to shame.

I kept looking at him in the reflection, and was surprised when he opened his mouth.

"Stop staring at me, pyro." My cheeks reddened, and I turned up the volume of my music, sinking lower in my seat. I clutched the safety bar for dear life again this morning, but resisted the urge to take a peek at Warren. I didn't really want to be called out on it again.

The bus landing was something to be desired, but as soon as we stopped, I rushed to the front of the line. I quickly walked to the office, where they gave me a schedule and locker number.

_8:00- 9:15 Hero's Mad Science and Weaponry- Rm 103  
9:20- 10:35 Power Development- Gym  
10:40- 11:55 Hero' English- Rm 118  
12:00- 12:40 Lunch  
12:45- 2:00 Hero's Math and Theory- Rm 109  
2:00- 3:00 Gym / Save the Citizen- Gym  
Locker 258- Combo 13-25-07_

I rolled my eyes at the ridiculously long class periods and hustled off to my locker. I got it open on the first try and put my bag in it, bringing only a notebook, a binder, and my pencil bag. I walked to the Lab and noticed that my Math class was further down the hall, and that my English class was right across the way. Unfortunately, I was on the other side of the school from the gym.

I grabbed a seat at one of the lab tables in the back, and more kids started to trickle in. The bell rang, and our teacher walked in. I almost swallowed the gum I had just placed in my mouth. His head was huge. Even larger than Warren's biceps.

_Speak of the devil…_

He sauntered in late and took the empty seat next to me. Shit.

Mr. Medulla started talking, yes his name was Mr. Medulla, and I offered a piece of gum to Warren without looking at him, and soon it disappeared from my grasp. The first day was so completely boring, but finally Mr. Medulla stopped cracking crappy science jokes, and told us to copy down the notes off the board.

I copied them down in record speed, and heard a pen next to me moving at the speed of light. I heard a piece of paper being ripped, and the pen was moving again. I kept looking down, and a folded piece of notebook paper landed on my notebook.

I sighed and picked up the note.

**What is it with the girls at this school, and their habit to stare at me, whether off the reflection of a window or outright? At least you attempt to be modest… **

I rolled my eyes and blushed slightly. I grabbed up my pencil and wrote back.

_**Whatever. It's not every day that you see arms like that. I think you almost gave a sidekick in the back of the bus a heart attack. Anyway, just curious, but do you purposely want to be let alone, or can these people smell something I don't?**_

I kept my eyes up and slid it across the table. Seconds later, it landed on my side of the table.

**Let's hope it's the former. And seriously? Don't these guys ever go to the gym? If girls were near death over my biceps, then I think you sent that scrawny kid in the second row to the nurse with an aneurism when he saw your ass.**

I rolled my eyes and bit back a laugh. Wait, were we flirting? Crap, I needed to ask Taylor later.

_**Hopefully that won't go to my head. By the way, I really like your shirt. The Used are really good.**_

I slid the note back over, and Mr. Medulla looked in our direction. I pretended to be writing, and when he looked away, Warren passed the note back.

**Well thank God that a female within ten feet of me looked at something other than my arms.**

I let a small laugh out, and Mr. Medulla shot another glance at me. I blushed and looked down. He finally sternly shook his head and turned back to the papers on his desk.

_**Wow, how big is your ego again?**_

I slid the note over.

**Probably bigger than that guy's head.**

I put both hands on my mouth, leaned my head down, and let my shoulders shake in silent laughter.

_**Damn. I don't need to help you any.**_

I slid the note back over. He reached for it before I could pull my hand away, and our fingers brushed. There wasn't any of those sparks that you read about in romance novels, but his fingers were warm and soft, and I jumped from the unexpected contact. I kept my head down, and soon, the note landed in front of me.

**Jumpy much? **

I gritted my teeth and drew a very realistic picture of a hand flipping him off.

_**No.**_

I slid the picture back and it was his turn to hold back laughter.

**Denial. Just too much denial…**

I rolled my eyes again and the bell finally rang. I grabbed the note and turned to Warren.

"What's your next class?" He grabbed his books and stood up, making him almost a foot taller than me. He whipped out his schedule from the back pocket of his jeans.

"Power Development."

I nodded."Me too." We walked out of the classroom and his locker was only a few down from mine. When he was busy shoving his crap in the locker, I stuffed the note in my bra, a reminder that I needed to go over then with Taylor later. I walked over to his locker as he was shutting it, and we walked to the gym together.

Granted, there was about four feet of space between us, and he walked slightly ahead of me, but he still walked me to class.

Right?

We ended up booking it to the gym when I checked my watch, and we just made it before the bell rang. Coach Boomer was on his little pedestal again, figuratively, and literally.

"Okay, whiner babies, welcome to Power Development. Before we do anything else, pair up with someone who has a power that is similar or the same to yours."

As it turns out, Power Development classes are set up so that each kid has at least one person that shares a power with them, or at least has a power in the same respects to physical or mental, the elements, and so forth.

And as it turns out, Warren was my assigned partner.

We stood awkwardly next to each other, as did most of the groups in the gym.

"Okay, get comfortable with each other, because you'll be with your partner with the rest of the year."

Excuse me.

WHAT?


	4. Chapter 4

_**Eh, some of this is cool, and some of this is mostly filler. Stick with it please! Pretty please with a cherry on top?**_

**X**

I stared dumbstruck at Coach Boomer, but he was oblivious to the outcries in the room as insults and exclamations were thrown around.

"Whiner babies! Go with your partner to a spot in the gym and start talking about your powers. Believe me, even if you have the same 'power' it still varies on technique. That's why we are here. To develop our powers." We all stood around looking at the ground, muttering. "What was that?"

Everyone's eyes snapped open and as one we all said, "Yes Coach Boomer!" We all scuttled away, and Warren followed me to the first bleacher where we sat side by side. He gave me plenty of personal space, which I liked.

"Okay then, well, what's up with your power? My mom has had a ban on powers since I was ten, so I could probably learn a lot."

He looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "A ban on powers? How did that work?"

"I don't know. When I was little, I didn't have a lot of control, so I barely ever left the house. Once I was able to control the random bursts of fire, I could read minds. Once I could control that, I was never allowed to practice. If I did, I was punished severely."

Anyway, when I left the house, I always went places with my sister, because my powers were so completely linked to my temper, probably like yours. She was the only one who could talk me down. When I asked my mom to practice, she grounded me for even mentioning my powers. Whenever we went to my grandma's house, she would help me because she's pyrokinetic as well, but soon my mom found out and the trips stopped. My uncle Chris is a mind reader, and every year on my birthday, he helps me out. My mom still hasn't found out."

When I met Eric, it was so weird to meet another mind reader besides Chris. I didn't really know how to handle it. I was in my uncle's mind since I was eleven, so it was just so unfamiliar. And my grandma is like seventy-five, so her powers are a little weak. I think I could really learn a lot from you."

Warren followed my monologue with curiosity. As soon as I finished, he ran his hands through his hair.

"Well then. When I was little, before my dad was put away," his eyes darkened substantially, "he would force me to practice until my backyard was blazing. I was pretty good, but after he left, I started practicing when it felt right, and soon enough, I was developing my power when I was ready for it. For so long, it felt like all my dad wanted was my power, not me. When he was taken, I felt so in-control. It was amazing." His eyes had glassed over as he delved into his memory, and he blinked a few times before glancing back at me.

"So that's my story. Wait, couldn't you have just read my mind?"

I shook my head. "No, and for two reasons. Reason one, I like to have permission, or at least a sure reason. I don't do it for pure amusement, well… once. But that was few years ago. Anyway, reason two, I kind of already tried to look into your mind and it nearly killed half my brain cells. I was wondering if you were mad at me for some reason, but as soon as I tried to pull down my mental blocks, it felt like someone tried to cut off my skull with a rusty spoon. So I learned my lesson." He cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay. Well, let's start out with something basic. You have a change of gym clothes right."

I nodded warily. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "In case you burn them off." I shook my head and we both stood up.

"Okay so start with a flame on your fingers, then your hands, then your wrists, up your arms, then torso, then legs. Concentrate on your emotion to move the flame, and try to keep the flame from burning your clothes. It is possible, I promise. Oh, and nothing above the neck just quite yet."

I tried to keep from hyperventilating, and as soon as I was pretty calm, I did as Warren said. The flame started at my fingertips, traveled over my knuckles, up my wrist, and got all the way up to my elbow. I clenched my jaw in concentration and told the flame to move up my arm, but leave my clothes un-touched. It was actually pretty easy to call up enough anger and embarrassment to move the fire to cover my torso. And I didn't feel any of my clothes being burnt yet.

The fire became a hot blanket, and I forced it down to my hips. I was so exhausted, but I knew that I would never get this far again. I pushed myself, and soon I felt the heat creeping down to my exposed thighs and knees. I squeezed my eyes tight and forced the flames lower, lower, and lower. Each inch was becoming more and more agonizing. It reached the top of my ankles, and I called up some painful memories for the home stretch.

George Hamilton humiliating me in front of the entire crowd at the Valentine's Day dance in the seventh grade.

Another inch.

My skirt dropping during recess in the second grade.

Another inch.

Harry Foreman putting ice cream down the front of my shirt two summers ago.

Another inch.

Getting my period at a pool party last year.

The last inch.

My eyes flew open and I glanced down at my flaming body. A few other people were staring at me, the human torch, and Warren had a satisfied smirk on my face. I sucked all the fire back into my body, sure to not burn my clothes, and started grinning like a mad woman.

"That was awesome!" I was practically jumping up and down, and Warren shook his head.

"Okay, coverage, check. Let's think about heat. Flame in the palm of your hand. Focus on the size, and keep it small. Keep pushing flame into the enclosed space and it will up the heat."

I held out my hand and put a small fire in the middle. I called up more humiliating moments and forced them in my hand. The flame glowed brighter and it was wavering wildly, but it kept a small form. I kept pushing and pushing, and the flame was white with small blotches of blue every once in a while. Warren rested two of his fingers in my palm, and he tilted his head slightly, thinking.

"Eh, about two thousand Fahrenheit. Go hotter." I pulled up more embarrassing and angering moments, and the flame turned a little purple, and I was really tired. "Okay about five thousand. Stop."

I shook my head. "No, I want to see how hot I can go." I squeezed my eyebrows together and focused on the flame, using my will alone to make it brighter. I glowed so hot it hurt my eyes, and something just snapped. The flame exploded, and I had enough will left to tell it not to burn Warren or I. The fire evaporated quickly, and I collapsed onto the bleachers.

"That's what happens when you go too hot. It wears you down. If I was to attack you now, you wouldn't be much of a fight." He smirked down at me and I flipped him off, breathing hard.

"Damn that hurt. What next?" He handed me an ice-pack and I put it on the back of my neck. It lasted for about a minute before it was back to liquid.

"_You_ are going to rest. Otherwise, you'll flame out, and that is so not fun. In the meantime, you are going to tell me how you can shape your flames." I sighed and leaned back a little.

"Okay, but it might take a few days." He shrugged.

"So. We're stuck in this gym for over an hour every day for the rest of the year. What else are we going to do?"

I sighed again. "Okay picture a small animal in your mind, like a snake or a bird or something. Now light up your palm, and blow on it, like a flamethrower. Let the flames grow out into the air, and keep the image in your thoughts. In your mind, shape the flames like clay. Like they are pliable and solid."

Warren blew on the flame and was able to keep it in the air for a good part of ten seconds before it evaporated. He tried again, and was able to keep it up for about thirty seconds. Then he could keep it up for about a minute. He frowned, and tried again, this time keeping it up long enough for him to start shaping. It fell out, and he wasn't disappointed, oh no, he was pissed. He took in a big breath, and the flame stayed up without wavering. He closed his eyes and shaped with his mind until he had a basic bird shape before it fell out.

His eyes were totally black now in anger, this irises melding with the pupils. He took another good breath and it stayed again. He shaped it again, and it started to look like an awesome hawk. In his mind's eye, he started the beak, then the face, then the neck, then the body, then outstretched wings, then the claws suspended in mid air. He opened his eyes and smirked. His concentration fell, and then so did the bird. His eyes glowed with fury.

He turned away from me, towards the side wall, and wound up like a baseball pitcher. He threw a rather large fireball towards the wall, and it smashed into one of the pillars, breaking off some parts and lighting them on fire.

The bell rang, and he stormed out.

I did tell him that it might take a while.

I hurried after him towards the lockers. He wasn't at his, so I just sighed, grabbed my stuff for English, and headed down the hall. I walked into the room a little early, and there were a bunch of desks that were empty in the back. I sat in the far left corner, and put a notebook on the desk next to mine, just in case Warren was in this class.

He was, but after taking a look at him and removing my notebook, I wasn't sure I wanted to sit by him. He walked slowly, like predator stalking prey, and slammed his books on the desk before sliding in. I knew that now was not the time to make chit-chat, so I faced forward and was greeted by a friendly face when Eric took the spot in front of me. He winked at me and faced toward the teacher. I opened up my mental shields.

**What's up Kendra?**

_Oh not much. Just dealing with an extremely pissed off pyro. No biggie._

**Really? Big bad Warren is enraged. Who would've guessed? **I sensed the dry sarcasm in his mental voice. **By the way, why is he sitting by you? I though y'all were destined to be mortal enemies or something like that.**

_I have no idea. I was staring at his arms on the bus through a reflection off the window…_

He interrupted my thoughts. **Oh my gosh, those arms! I nearly swooned when he walked into school. Anyway, continue.**

_So, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was staring, somehow he caught it, then he passed me a note in Science. _I sent him a brief mental run through of the notes contents, and he almost fell off the seat in excitement. The teacher turned towards us, and I was the picture of innocence, pretending to take notes. She turned back to the notes on the board, and Eric righted himself.

**Oh em gee! You were totally flirting. And he was flirting back! I envy you… And way to go on the ass thing, I mean, not that you wrote it, of course, but that you had enough of a memorable ass that he wrote about it. You get what I mean, right?**

I mentally laughed. _Yeah I get it. Thanks. Anywho, I forgot to listen yesterday, what's your last name?_

**Berkley. Why?**

_I just make a conscious effort to learn all my friend's names. Would you… Oh crap. She wants me to answer something. What was the question?_

**What's the difference between a synonym and a metaphor?**

"A synonym uses like or as two compare two things, and a metaphor just directly compares them." She nodded, and moved to another student with the next question.

_So, again, would you like to sit by me at lunch?_

**Sorry Kendra, I have to see someone in the office about my locker, the piece of crap that it is. Tomorrow?**

My hopes fell and I tried to sound casual when I answered. _Uh, yeah, sure. That's cool. _I slid my mental shield back up and began to take notes for the rest of the horrendous hour and fifteen minutes.

The bell rang, and everyone sighed in relief as we made our way back to our lockers. I nodded at Eric, and went to my own locker to retrieve the lunch I threw together this morning. The table I was at yesterday was free, and I quickly understood why.

Warren was sitting at the opposite end from where I sat yesterday, and a group of girls openly stared from two tables away. Everyone else looked scared out of their minds when they passed by him.

So, was I to go with the flow and sit at one of the other packed tables?

Or was I going to shove my nose in the air, give a little swing to my hips, and sit by the rebel?

What do _you_ think?


	5. Chapter 5

**Some filler. I promise the next one will be good! And sorry for some Warren OOC-ness. Enjoy, fine readers!**

I kept my face clean of emotion as I sat across from Warren. His head snapped up from the book he was reading, and an un-amused expression took up shop. I swiftly unpacked my lunch, and he slammed his flat palm on the table, making me jump slightly.

"What are you doing Kendra?"

I recovered from being surprised, and looked up at him, very casually. "Hey Warren. I just couldn't find anyone else to sit with at lunch, so I sat here." I tried to look blasé as I started eating my grapes, but I was terrified of the liquid fire eyes that bored into my head.

"In case you didn't notice, I'm not really in the mood right now."

"And why would that be?" I asked, keeping my head down. I could see his hands glowing red.

"I'm fucking pissed at you!" He cut himself off before he finished the rest of his statement, and latched his hand onto the side of the table, burning a handprint shape onto it.

"Again I ask, why would that be? I didn't do anything to you." I was fighting to keep my voice calm and my temper calmer. He didn't answer, and I made the foolish mistake of gazing up at his face.

My eyes were immediately pulled into the trap of his onyx gaze. I couldn't tear my eyes away, fighting in the age-old struggle for dominance. We kept our eyes locked, and slowly, the environment became very quiet.

Or maybe I was just blocking it out.

"Are we going to have a problem?" I kept the gaze up and quirked an eyebrow.

Out of nowhere, Eric sat down next to me. "You know, I heard somewhere that if you keep a gaze locked with someone for more than six seconds, it shows a desire for either sex or murder. And seeing as you guys haven't killed each other yet…" We both stared at him incredulously.

Warren spoke with disbelief. "The fuck? Who are you?"

Eric fluffed his hair and held out his hand. "I'm Eric. And you are Warren Peace, resident bad-boy." Eric winked at him, and Warren turned to me, totally confused.

"Don't mind him. He's very weird, very sweet, and very gay. And most likely has a little crush on you." Eric turned red and smacked my arm. Warren looked like he couldn't possibly get more shocked. I couldn't hold back my hysterics any longer. If the cafeteria wasn't already silent, it became so quiet that I'm sure the nerds hiding out in the bathrooms could hear my loud giggles.

I finally calmed down and returned to normal breathing. The cafeteria population thawed out.

"Sorry, that was just too funny. Anyway, where were we?" I ate another grape.

Warren looked at me calmly. "He was telling us to either kill each other or jump each other's bones."

I coughed and almost choked. "Yes, well, um, uh…okay, right, yeah. I think a change of subject is in order." Warren started to stare me down again, but I hid my pink cheeks.

"Really? I think this topic is perfectly fine." I glared at Warren, who seemed to have shuffled his bad mood off to me. I smacked Eric's arm, rounded up my lunch and stormed out.

_How dare they embarrass me like that! And Eric! Didn't he have somewhere to be? Why did they just have to ruin my day?_

I ended up at the same place as yesterday, and opened my sandwich bag up in my lap. I ate about half, and stood up, extremely angry at my conscious. I barged back into the lunch room, where Warren and Eric were both eating in a comfortable silence. I slammed my stuff down and plopped down in my seat.

"Sorry 'bout that." I resumed eating.

"S'okay," came from Warren.

"No prob," Eric said simply.

I rolled my eyes and swallowed. "No seriously guys, I am sorry, that was rude of me."

I got the same answers. "Jesus! For the love of all that is holy look me in the eye!" Eric met my gaze and promptly fell into a fit of chuckles. Warren half smiled.

"Pay up." Eric wiped his eyes and slapped a ten in Warren's palm. I looked between the two, confused, and Eric started laughing again.

Warren cracked a smile. An honest-to-god smile. I almost fainted.

"Damn Warren. Do you have a contract with Crest or something? Just some words of advice, don't wear short sleeves, those damn jeans, _and_ smile like that all within a day. Can you not see the women around you falling unconscious? Really, it's just unfair." I pretended to shield my eyes.

His smile morphed into a smirk. "My jeans? Really?"

My words caught up with me, and I smacked my head on the table, blushing profusely. I whispered to myself. "I'm an idiot. The fuck Kendra, get a hold of yourself."

I willed the blood to remove itself from my face and raised my head. Warren was still looking at me with that amused and sarcastic smirk, and Eric was breathing raggedly next to me, trying not to break out in giggles.

"Well, I think we deserve the award for most awkward lunch time conversation ever. What do you guys think?"

Warren turned to me again. "No, I think we need to mention something in the sex range first. A little more in depth, like how about…" I snapped my hands up to tightly cover my ears.

"Oh no, no, no, Warren Peace. I would like to keep whatever's left of my innocence, thank you very much." He smiled that blinding smile again, and I removed my hands smiling with him.

The bell rang, and I hurried to finish my sandwich. I threw my trash away and ran down the hall with Eric and Warren. Eric's locker really was a piece of crap, and it took him about five tries to get it open. We figured out that the three of us had Math together, and we found desks at the back of the room.

Warren and Eric had really taken to each other, and I was surprised that Warren would be able to let me in, let alone Eric. I had a feeling that Warren didn't usually make friends that easily.

Listen to me, sounding like his mother.

Well, that was a thoroughly disgusting feeling.

**X**

**X**

**Yeah, I know it was kinda short. But I still love you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This, just, hell I don't know. It just kind of blurted itself out over a span of a few days. Totally weird. So, enjoy…**

The bell rang. The fucking bell finally rang. It was like drinking a glass of water after being left in the desert for an hour and fifteen minutes.

Yeah, I really hate math.

And even more, I hate that Warren and Eric are both _stupendous_ at math. Well world, way to make me feel stupid.

Fortunately, Eric had gym with us, so we all scrambled to make our way down to the other side of the school. Well, Eric and I scrambled. Warren lithely twisted through the bodies, avoiding contact at all costs.

We made it on time, Coach Boomer handed out uniforms, gym locker numbers, blah blah yadda yadda. He finally dismissed us to change, and I followed the throngs of girls to the locker rooms, keeping back. I never really made good friends with girls. Maybe I was just too abrasive or honest or whatever, but my sister was the only girl that I really enjoyed hanging out with.

Plus, guys usually have dirtier minds, and I would be lying if I said that that didn't make it more interesting.

I found my locker, and started stripping, turning my left side out, keeping my right side towards the wall. I had a scar on my hip from my earlier emo days, and I didn't really feel like explaining if anyone happened to be curious.

I pulled on the ridiculous orange, white, and blue uniform, rolling my eyes, and tightly laced on my shoes over the mandatory knee socks. I stepped through the doors and staked out a spot on the bleachers, stretching out my leg to save space for Eric and Warren. Eric walked out, a nervous and scared look on his face, and Warren followed, his fists flaming.

I settled down my leg, and Eric sat down on my left side, Warren on my right.

"What happened?"

Eric opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Warren's cold voice.

"Bastards. Got all up in his face 'cause he's gay. Really, you would think that people who go to a school for _supers_ would have a more open mind." I settled my arm across each of the boys' shoulders, causing Warren to stiffen and flame down, and Eric to calm and relieve his tense shoulders

"So what? Let's just hope someone gets creamed in Save the Citizen. And let's hope it's not us."

Warren relaxed slightly and Eric smiled at me. "Sure. Whatever. So, where's Boomer?"

He was answered by the teacher in question. "_SIIIIIIILEEEENCE!"_ I pulled my hands down to tightly latch over my ears, and a girl with super hearing in the third row fainted. "Okay whiner babies, hit the track. Four laps. No cutting, cheating, or excuses. Go!"

Despite his yelling, most of the class lazily got up and headed for the back of the school. Coach Boomer didn't follow us out, but once we hit the gravel path, they were all off like lightning. Speed was done in two point five seconds, and the rest of us rolled our eyes and started jogging.

I learned later that Eric was on the track team at his old school, so he gave us a little wave and took off.

I turned to Warren and he smirked evilly. Us being in slightly better shape than the rest of the class, we barreled down the path. I started to breathe deeply through my mouth, and started taking longer strides, using the force of the fire within me to propel myself. We finished only a minute after Eric, and Warren beat me by mere seconds. I was breathing hard, and collapsed on the outside metal bleachers.

"Okay Kendra, pay up." I glared up at Warren and slapped a five in his hand that I had fished out from the pocket of my shorts. We made this bet in math class.

The rest of the class finished soon after, a light sheen of sweat gleaming on their foreheads. We all walked back in, and Lash and Speed disappeared into the locker rooms again to change into their Save the Citizen armor.

Coach Boomer hauled himself onto his little viewing deck. "Okay, Lash, Speed, you are the returning champions." He gestured to the emerging boys, and they stepped into the arena. I vaguely noticed Mr. Medulla and Mr. Boy on a little platform to the right of Boomer's high chair.

Heh heh, _high chair_.

"Who do you choose as opponents?"

Lash spoke up first. "We want Berkley." Eric got up warily.

Speed spoke. "And we want Thomas." He pointed to a gangly blonde in the back row. She stood up and made her way down to the arena.

Well, in a few moments, after Boomer's speech and the initial buzzer, it was a quick clean-up. Eric was beaten to a bloody pulp, and Angela Thomas, as I learned her name was, could become a teddy bear.

Yeah, they ripped out her stuffing.

I left Warren with a wink, and practically carried Eric to the nurse. He waved a bloody hand and told me to get back to class once I pulled him onto the little blue cot-thing.

You could imagine my surprise when I walked into the room, and Warren and Ice girl were locked in a heated battle. Lash and Speed were standing off to the side, and they just chuckled as the dummy grew ever closer to the grinding blades.

Warren had a steady stream of fire going at her, and she had a flurry of ice going at him. They were both being drained, but Ice girl looked especially tired. She faltered her step, and Warren rounded out a fireball to her head. She flew across the arena, and Warren collapsed.

Great.

Warren was a hell load harder to carry to the nurse than Eric. He was taller, more muscled out, and hot, even for a pyro.

Temperature wise, although now that I think about it…

_I mean what can I say?  
Dirty babies in the back seat singing, (damn)  
Hey DJ, won't you play that song for me?  
And turn it upon your radio,  
I got two hundred seconds and I'm ready to go._

I let Warren crumple to the floor, and fished my phone out of my pocket. That was Taylor's ringtone.

"What Tay? You know that class is still in over here? And I'm currently dragging an unconscious pyro to the nurse. So what is so goddamn important?"

I heard sniffling and crying on the other end. "Tay? What's wrong? Talk to me. I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened. Taylor! Fucking breathe!"

Two sidekicks scuttled down the hall past me, terror evident on their faces.

"Ken-ken. Oh my god. Some guy came down the hall. He was carrying a gun. I ran to the bathroom. He left and the police are here, but he shot someone. My god, Ken-ken, he shot a hiding super. Her name was Tess. She, oh my god, she thankfully had regeneration skills, and she was healed in no time, but Kendra, he singled her out. He knew she was a super."

My mouth dropped open in shock. "The fuck? Taylor, are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I was just shaken up. Please tell the principal or something. It's on Super News Channel Ten. He can't get into that school. I don't know, maybe he was in a group or something, but please, help them out. I gotta go. Love you." The phone line dropped.

I turned to Warren. My jaw still hanging, I gathered up my primal instinct and slapped him across the face.

_CRACK!_

"Whoa, wha- the fuck Kendra? Where's that Ice Bitch?"

"Warren. Snap out of it. You won. Whatever. Now, my sister just called me. Someone tried to kill a hiding super. I need you to go to the nurse so I can tell Powers."

He stared at me with a bewildered expression as the news settled on his mind. He stood up in a daze and rubbed his cheek.

"So all _that_ led you to slap me?"

I rolled my eyes.

God, boys are so dense.

**X**

**X**

**Um… Review? If you have faith that anything good can come from this…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry I've been gone forever. See the authors note at the bottom for any semblance of an explanation. Love you, and enjoy! **

**X**

I left Warren in the hall, and ran to Principal Powers' office. I stopped at Marlene's desk.

"Hey Marlene, I need to see the Principal. It's urgent. Like, _way_ urgent."

She didn't look up from her computer screen, but waved me in with a flick of her super-long, red, ghetto nails and huffed.

Sometimes I just hate office assistants.

I burst through the door and sat in one the highly uncomfortable chairs on the other side of the large mahogany desk.

Powers looked at me and slowly lowered her reading glasses.

"Yes, Miss Sharpe?"

"Turn on Super News Channel Ten. Some guys broke into my sister's school and targeted a hiding super. He just shot her and left. It was scary enough that my sister called me while I was dragging Warren to the nurse. She was really freaked out, and the super police said the girl who was shot had regeneration powers, so she was okay, but I just wanted to know if you guys knew about the situation, or if you wanted to know about the situation, or if it even _is_ a situation. I haven't really been immersed in the whole Super culture, so I don't really know if this is normal, or if it's like a national emergency. So, that's about it."

She watched my borderline-frantic monologue with vague interest. As soon as I was finished, she grabbed a sleek silver remote off her desk. She pointed it at the screen in the corner, and the small flat-screen buzzed to life. She quickly changed it to SNC Ten and watched with a trained eye.

The weird blonde reporter dude gave us the information we needed, and quickly signed off to the sports guy.

She buzzed the television off and turned to me.

"Thank you Miss Sharpe for bringing this to my attention. I will contact the Council and we will create a course of action to make sure that this man, and any others he may be affiliated with, do not end up in Sky High. There will be an assembly tomorrow morning, and we will go over what we know with the school there. Now go and make sure Mr. Peace is situated in the infirmary, and head back to class. You are dismissed."

I stood up from the chair, my armor creaking, and made my way out of the office.

That was weird. She acted kind of odd, especially for a principal. Or maybe that was just me. The only time I had ever been in the principal's office at my old school was to get detention.

I walked to the nurse's office, and didn't see Warren through the glass in the door.

My eyebrows crinkled.

I went back down the hall, and noticed Warren on the floor, about five feet from where I left him. He collapsed again.

Stupid idiot flamed out.

I grabbed his wrist and yanked him to the door of the infirmary.

"Nurse Spex!" The sweet lady opened the door and looked at the unconscious pyro at my feet.

"Oh dear. He flamed out, didn't he?" I nodded and she grabbed his other arm to help me pull him in. She reached into one of her drawers and pulled out a syringe filled with a milky red liquid. She jammed it into his thigh and pressed down. The syringe was thrown into a biohazard bin, and she walked out with a wink.

I sat with Warren, who was still on the floor, and he came around in a minute.

Apparently his muscles had been tensed when her fell, because his arm flung out and smacked me on my chest.

Yes, _there_.

He looked at me and his ears turned pink.

"Sorry about… that. Did I flame out?"

I hid my blushing cheeks and nodded.

"Dumb moron. I went to go talk to Powers and figured you'd be fine. So imagine my surprise when the pyro, who has about eight inches and forty pounds on me, fell unconscious. _Again._ So I had to drag your sorry ass to the nurse's office."

He rolled his eyes and stood up, stretching his arms towards the ceiling. His biceps flexed in time with his lower abdominals, and I felt my hormones triple between my hips.

Damn the person who invented spandex.

I turned quickly and headed back to the locker rooms. I heard him walking behind me, and he promised to save me a seat on the bus as I slipped through the door.

The locker rooms were fairly packed, but I managed to get changed and out in under ten minutes. I was tightening my ponytail and walking out the front doors when Lash caught me.

"Hey hot stuff." He leaned against the railing in front of me, and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"What do you want, stretchy?" He smiled wickedly and grabbed my wrist, forcing me against the brick wall. In the distance beyond Lash's head, I saw Warren leaning against the bus, his eyes trained on us.

I focused on Lash's face and his other arm made a grab for my remaining wrist.

I rolled my eyes and flamed up slightly, causing him to hiss and step back.

"Forgot I could do that, huh? So what do you _really_ want?" His eyes flashed with some sort of imperceptible emotion, and he shoved me hard against the wall before walking away.

I crinkled my eyebrows and pulled my bag higher on my shoulder. I frowned at the dull thud across my left shoulder blade, but shook it off and ran down the steps to meet Warren.

"Hey." He nodded at me with a smirk and led the way onto the bus, tucking his phone in his front pocket, showing me a slice of abs when he lifted up his shirt.

I smiled and bit my lip, silently following him. We reached the benches.

Another dilemma.

He said he'd save me a seat, but should I sit where I usually sit and try not to push it? Or should I sit next to him in a casual display of friendliness?

I didn't really have much say in the matter, because he quickly grabbed my messenger bag off my shoulder and threw it into my normal seat. He sat behind me as usual.

I kept my face clean of emotion, but mentally frowned to myself and sat down.

The ride was quiet, much to my dismay, and all too soon, we were at Warren's stop. I heard him stand up, and a small, tightly folded piece of paper landed in my lap as he passed.

The doors closed, and I looked out the window. He was only a few feet away from the bus stop, but turned back and met my eyes.

Maybe it was just the light, but I thought I saw him wink.

We rounded a corner and I settled my head back to facing forward. I grabbed the paper off the fabric of my skirt.

I managed to unwrap the damned thing without tearing it, and blushed profusely at the writing in deep black ink.

It was a phone number.

**X**

**X**

**Yeah, I know it's short, but I've just been so un-inspired these past few days. I hope this will suffice until I can get on a roll. Another quick word… School will be starting up soon for me, on the fifteenth of August, to be exact. That means that I will be rocking the high school hallways, and won't update as often. I hate it, but school will become my life. But weekends, free-days, holidays, and sick days are all yours.**

**Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know you're probably angry with me, but hopefully this will calm your minds before you death-wish me. I love you and review, review!**

**X**

**X**

I got off the bus as quickly as possible and sprinted home, sighing in relief when I saw my sister's black VW bug in the driveway.

I needed help with this thing with Warren.

If there even was a "thing".

The door slammed against the wall when I walked in, and Taylor's head poked out of the kitchen. Her mouth was filled with cereal, and she chewed and swallowed, already heading up the stairs. I followed her up to her room and she sat on the floor with Jiggle in her lap.

"Okay. I know that face. Who is he? What did he do? Because you look more confused than when Grandma tried to use our DVD player."

I smiled at the memory and kicked off my shoes, sitting against the wall across from her. I fished the note out of my bra and shoved that and the paper with Warren's number on it towards her. She read the note at double speed, her eyebrows arching higher with each word. She looked at the paper with the number and set them down in front of her. Her hand drifted across Jiggle's back in thought, and her eyes glazed over for a moment.

She snapped back and looked at me with a pointed expression. "You never told me who this guy was." I looked down and bit my lip. "It's Warren isn't it. Damn it Ken… Okay. Whatever. To each their own. Yeah, he was flirting. And you were flirting back. Happy?"

I looked up at her and smiled a little too much. "Love ya Tay." I grabbed my shoes and ran back to my own room. I reached my hand into my pocket and fished out my phone, but stalled.

Now what?

I woke up to someone thumping my bag onto the floor. Peeling my gluey eyes open, I only caught a glimpse of red inside the deepest brown hair before Warren was sitting next to me and shoving a Starbucks cup under my nose.

Five second mental party: AWWW! HE BROUGHT ME COFFEE!

End girly moment.

"Drink." One word out of him. Just one. But hey, no one likes mornings.

I eagerly gulped the scalding double espresso down and forced my eyes wider. I only hoped that for Warren's sake, my subconscious had been awake enough to put on some decent clothes.

A quick glance down… Okay, dark denim short shorts and a black off the shoulder tee with a red jaguar face on the front. Somehow I had made it into my black biker boots, and according to the reflection on the window, my hair was piled on top of my head and I even had makeup on.

Maybe Taylor dressed me this morning…

"What's up with you? You look like death warmed up." He smirked at me.

I shot him a dirty look and crossed my legs. "Chill Peace. I was up all night…" Debating over whether to text you or not and feel asleep on the couch? "helping my sister with a College History assignment. I'm just a little tired."

"A little tired? You were snoring when I got on the bus." I blushed slightly and chugged the rest of the coffee, throwing the cup onto the empty seat behind us.

The empty seat behind us…

I opened my mouth to ask Warren why he sat next to me, but he already had his headphones in. It was so loud I could practically hear the Skrillex messing up his eardrums.

The bus ride was uneventful, except for an awkward moment when I shifted my eyes over to Warren to check him out, and he was looking over at me. Then our eyes met and we simultaneously turned our head forward and acted like it never happened.

But besides that, uneventful.

We made it off the bus fine, and we were about to head to first period when an announcement came over the speakers.

"_All students and faculty, please report to the gym for a mandatory assembly. Thank you."_

Crap. I forgot.

There was a major lockdown at my old school once when a creepy guy started hiding out in the bushes with a rifle. But I don't think you can really lockdown a school in the sky… Can you?

Warren and I filed into the gym with the rest of the bodies and located Eric waving his hands wildly over his head. It helped that he was wearing the pinkest shirt in the room, though.

Like a good citizen, I turned to follow the crowds up the stairs, but Warren grabbed my wrist and tromped right over the seats, knowing people would make way. As soon as we sat down, a shudder-like wav e passed through the crowd, and they gave our trio plenty of breathing room.

Like, five feet of breathing room.

What do three people do with five extra feet of breathing room, you ask? Our bags went onto the seats behind us and we stretched out our legs onto the seats below us.

Being a social pariah has its advantages.

I was sitting between the two boys, and even though Erik was totally gay, and as far as most of the student body figured, Warren was completely untouchable, I was still getting looks of envy. Mostly from the JV volleyball team.

And I was only a freshman.

Then Principal Powers walked in, and the usually smattering of applause from the nerds, butt-kissers, and over-achievers commenced. She smiled tightly and waved her hand up, stopping the claps.

"It has come to the attention of the faculty, staff, and entire super powered community," she stated. "That an anti-super group called The Shadows of Light has been targeting and murdering in-hiding supers all around the greater Maxville area. There are thirty known members, and over fifty unidentified members. There have been already ten deaths linked to this group, which formed one year and two months ago. Yesterday, an anonymous student tipped me off that another murder was attempted at a high school in downtown Maxville. The super-police forces have started to gather up all known members.

Lists of the known member's names are being passed around. Everybody take one. If you recognize _any_ of these names, locate Sergeant Huss though the number on the bottom. Once you have your paper, you will be dismissed to first period."

Erik leaned over and plucked three stray papers from the aisle, and handed one to me and Warren. The boys started joking about some random thing that happened at lunch yesterday, but I was transfixed, scanning the names.

I stopped at one name, and read it over and over, trying to figure out where I had heard that name before. It wasn't really the name, but the _maiden_ name.

My blood grew colder than it had ever been in my life, and a sudden flare of light charred the paper. It didn't matter that ashes were settling on my feet.

All I could think about was the name that flashed over and over in front of my eyes.

My mother's name was on that list.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I've been gone. And I'm sorry that this is so short, but it's really emotional. Forgiveness? Okay, get your tissues ready. (See the bottom for a little contest I'm doing!)**

**X**

**X**

So _this_ is what speechless feels like. It's kind of like I haven't had time to make up my mind about it yet. I don't know if I'm angry or confused or sad or all three.

I'm just… numb.

But no one knows my mom's maiden name.

So I have to keep it together for a few more hours. No biggie.

I just won't think about it. Shuffle it away and deal with it later. Pretend like it never happened.

So when Warren bumped my shoulder and said, "Hey, we're gonna be late," I just shook my head and smiled.

"Sorry guys. Just spazzed for a moment. Let's go. Later Eric." Warren and I followed the remaining slackers out the north entrance, and Eric blew us air kisses heading in the opposite direction.

The day didn't pass quickly. It wasn't like those depressing movies where the day passes in a blurry montage. I was alert and present, overanalyzing my every move from the moment we left the gym, until I made it to the bus.

I had just sat down in my seat, and was waiting for the driver to get here when Warren spoke up.

"What's wrong with you?"

I raised my eyebrow (something I seemed to be doing a lot of recently) and stared at him. "Blunt much? You really know how to ease yourself into a topic, don't you?"

He just kept up eye contact with me, daring me with those cinnamon flecks to change the subject.

His eyes are so pretty… and intense…

I broke first. Looking down at my knees, I dug my nails into the sides of my thighs and tried to find my voice. "I'm sorry Warren. Just give me a night to figure it out myself and I promise that I will be back to normal tomorrow." I gave him my most reassuring smile, but he still walked off the bus with an uneasy expression.

Huh… I didn't even realize we were at his stop.

As soon as we were moving again, I crumpled into the window and just waited lifelessly.

It seemed to take a lifetime. My stop was called and I was off the bus in less than ten seconds, I shit you not. I ran all the way to my house, my safe haven. I reached the front door and paused. Something was off.

I looked around and started to notice things. The garage door was still open about two feet, as if someone hadn't been patient enough to close it all the way.

Or as if someone was in a hurry.

My sister's car was parked normally, but the front door was ajar.

I stepped in and heard sobs from the dining room.

I dropped everything, literally, and ran to my sister who was slumped against the wall. She raised her bloodshot eyes to mine and pointed a shaky finger at the dining room table.

There sat stacks of money, about a couple thousand dollars, at least. A note was on top.

_To our beautiful girls, Taylor and Kendra,_

_Have no doubt in your minds that we have, and always will love you. A terrible moment from your mother's past has caught up with her, and for your sakes, we have left. Do not try to look for us, as it will only bring you harm and heartache. Please understand that we do this for your utmost safety, and hope that you can continue your lives as normal. Though there is a small chance that we will meet again, know in your hearts, that we continue to think about you every day. We know this hard, for all of us, but we only want the best for you. Some very terrible and powerful people are after us, and we only wish that you girls don't get caught in the cross hairs. Money will be left and continuously supplied to you as needed through a reliable source, for anything you may want or need. Remember- we will always cherish you, as you two are our greatest pride and joy._

_Love, Mom and Dad_

I set the paper down and started to scream "No, no, no, no, no, you can't be gone, no, no..." I ran up the stairs and into their room.

Everything was exactly as they had left it.

I started sobbing and curled up in their bed, still able to smell my mom's perfume and the cologne I had gotten my dad for his birthday. After a while, my sister joined me, and we laid there, until the sun went down, crying and holding our parent's pillows close to our noses, inhaling the last living part of them we had.

I can't remember when we fell asleep.

**X**

**X**

**Okay guys, whoever leaves me a most amazing review or PMs me with a most amazing whatever, will have the chance to get a little tidbit I wrote from Warren's perspective. If you don't want a spoiler, don't do this, but if it doesn't matter, then go for it. I'll be choosing three winners, but the little tidbit will appear in a future chapter. If this has a big turnout, I'll be doing bigger contests in the future. Have fun, be creative, surprise me! GO! **


	10. Chapter 10

**This has quite a bit of out-of-characterness, but it all has a meaning in the end. P.S. - Contest entries due by November 23, 2012 at midnight (U.S. Mountain Time). Let's get down to it!**

**X**

Waking up with a snot-filled nose, dry eyes, and stuffed sinuses is not fun.

Ever.

And trust me. I've had plenty of experience with the post-cry "hangover". So when all that crap is accompanied by some random song blaring next to my head and someone pounding furiously on what sounded like my front door… well, someone was not a happy camper.

I was just pissed off at this point and decided that my phone needed to be completely turned off and thrown down the stairs.

I'll have to thank my dad for that OtterBox.

And that thought nearly reduced me to tears.

But that damn pounding was just so majorly _annoying._ After blowing my nose, I grabbed a random hair tie from my doorknob as I passed and tried to pull all my hair on top of my head, while simultaneously trying to wipe all the smudged mascara out from under my eyes. I checked my reflection in the hallway mirror and noticed that most of my makeup had been cried off my face and into the crook of my elbow.

Fantastic.

I had a mascara-induced elbow-stache.

I trotted down the rest of the stairs and grabbed my phone at the bottom, stuffing it in my pocket, heading for the door.

As soon as I was within a few feet of the door I started to hear my name mixed with a bunch of curse words.

And my first thought was that I hoped I looked cute enough if Warren was at the door.

My second thought was wondering why on earth Warren would be at my door.

I yanked open the door and swiftly dodged the fist that slammed on empty air. I guess we were about to find out.

The man (boy, dude, guy?) in question stomped into my house, kicked off his boots at my door and hung his school bag on the hat rack before storming past me into the kitchen.

Well, at least his momma raised him right.

More pressure pressed down on my heart, but I shook it off and followed Warren.

"Not to be rude or anything, but what the hell are you doing here? How do you even _know_ where I live?" I hopped up on the counter and stared at the brooding figure pacing around my large kitchen.

"Never mind that. Have you checked your phone? I've called. And texted. Something felt wrong. So here I am." He stopped pacing and cocked his head, a movement that looked completely out of place on his sharp features.

"Where are your parents?"

I couldn't help it. From that miniscule, off-hand comment… I don't know, I just…

I lost it.

I curled my knees up to my chest and cried big, nasty, choking sobs into my knees. I held my legs close, compacting tighter and tighter as time carried on.

I was afraid that if I unfurled myself, that I would lose every memory of my parents that I had. It seemed to carry on forever, but finally, I cried out all the water in my body, and was left in a disgusting, dehydrated, and depressed heap. I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my shirt and sniffed back all the snot I could. Only then did I raise my eyes to look at Warren.

He looked absolutely scared shitless.

And I found that slightly hilarious.

Because so far, I've seen Warren be broody, and broodier. And often a smirk. And twice a smile.

Yet, I digress.

His eyes got bigger than I had ever seen on a person, and he put his hands up in front of him, taking a half step towards me, like I was an volatile mental patient.

I probably looked like one.

I guess he deserved an explanation.

"Okay, on the table, in the dining room, next to the stacks of cash, read it." He left the room, only to appear moments later with an odd look on his face.

Now, everyone, hold onto your hats, because something happened there. Something that was weird and sweet, but just all around freaky.

Warren dropped the note on the ground, took two long strides towards me and splayed his palms on the counter on either side of me. He leaned in close to my face, and locked eyes with me.

"Kendra, I will never let anyone ever hurt you, and I promise to always be there for you when you need me."

He said those words with such intensity, such conviction…

Those words were more intimate than any kiss, any embrace, that he could have given me.

And suddenly, I was the one who was scared shitless.

Because big, bad, Warren knew that something nasty was up. And that was not good.

**X**

**Okay, so the last two chapters were really small, but just think about it as putting them together for one big chapter. How did you feel about Warren's weirdness? Review, Review! Your review could spur the next great idea! I love you guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So many great reviews out there! A friendly reminder that the better the review, the likelier I am to reply, leave a shout-out, and/or write some more. But any who, let's get to it!**

**Oh, and I just pulled this out of my ass at 2am, so don't hurt me. We get a nice look at Warren's emotions in this one. Enjoy.**

**X**

Call me whatever you like, but I stayed home from school that day. I watched movies, ate a ridiculous amount of ice cream, and tried to make myself think that my parents were just on a long holiday, instead of being gone forever.

And Warren stayed with me the whole time.

It started with us sitting at opposite ends of the couch, and ended with me waking up…

Well….

He was leant up against the couch, on the floor, and I was sitting curled up in his lap, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped around me and the sound of his heart against my ear.

This boy moves quickly.

And I don't know what overtook me, but when he started to stir, I just put my head back on his chest and pretended to be asleep.

Damn fool. He believed it.

"_Fuck, Christ, fuck it. Dammit, she just lost her parents and you're trying to… Hell what _am_ I trying to do?" _I heard him speaking to himself as he picked me up and placed me on the couch.

He scribbled something on a piece of paper, crossed it out, wrote some more, and slammed the pen down in frustration. Then he covered me with a blanket, grabbed his shoes, and left.

Ouch.

Feels like I just did the nasty with a man-whore and he left before dawn without saying good-bye.

Oh fuck it.

I dozed for a while in self-pity and confusion before the small clock on the mantle chimed three times. My eyes shot open and I pushed the blanket down to the edge of the couch and snatched up the note.

I was about to open it when I saw my sister's car snaking down the road to our house.

Oh shit. I didn't tell her that I had stayed home.

I stuffed the note in my pocket and started cleaning up at record speed, discarding the ice cream tubs, folding up the blanket, and trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes.

I heard her car lock beep and spun to face the door.

Where the metal chain on Warren's school bag winked in the afternoon sunlight.

With nothing more than pure instinct, I grabbed the bag, slung it over my shoulder, and bolted up the stairs.

I then proceeded to retie my hair, get dressed, and climb out my window with my tote on tow.

Show time.

I threw my bag down, climbed the trellis, and then walked up to the door. With a whiney "school sucked today" on my lips, I reached for the door handle.

And felt a warm hand wrap around my wrist.

"Kendra. We need to talk."

I do not need this.

I turned around, and dug my hand into my hip in frustration. "Warren, my sister doesn't know I stayed home, can you just go around the side of the house and wait under the trellis? I'll come and get you, okay?"

He nodded stiffly, and walked away.

I counted to five, turned, walked in the door, and greeted my sister with ease. I calmly walked up the stairs and into my room. As soon as I shut the door, I fell.

Literally.

With shaking fingers, I reached over to my shorts lying on the floor and pulled the note from the back pocket.

I had to force myself to stop trembling, and focused my eyes on the note.

There were two black blobs covering most of the page, where he had written and scribbled it out. At the very bottom, covering the last two lines were the words.

_Something's wrong, but I'll be back for you. Don't leave the house.  
-W_

I crinkled my eyebrows and suddenly remembered the boy in question under my window. I scrambled to my feet and yanked the window open all the way, sticking my head out. I couldn't see him on the ground, and was about to pull my head back in when I heard a "Hey" next to me.

I jumped, and smacked my head on the window frame before pulling my body inside the room, to let Warren through. I rubbed the top of my head and watched as he pulled himself in.

He stood in the center of my bedroom with his hands in his pockets, looking quite uncomfortable.

"Well, this feels like a cliché '80s movies, doesn't it?"

He nodded in agreement and let out a big breath, pulling off his jacket and perching on my bed.

"So…what's up?" I anxiously rocked back and forth on my heels, awaiting an answer.

He yanked a hair tie off my bed-side table and twisted his hair up with an expertise that only my sister and John Frieda had. He then placed his head in his hands and growled as loudly as possible.

I smacked his arm and pressed my ear against the door, waiting for my sister to come running up. After waiting for about five minutes, and mentally declaring the coast clear, I turned back to Warren.

His face was contorted in an odd mix agony, frustration, and anger.

He was also digging his white-hot flame coated nails into his left arm. I knew from personal experience that it wouldn't leave a mark, but it still hurt like a bitch.

But I just stood there, frozen, as I watched the closest thing I had to a best friend fall apart in front of me. His blood was burning as it dripped onto my flame-retardant flooring, and the fire in his eyes burned hotter than his own skin.

I watched as a renegade tear slipped past his iron eyelids and onto the curve of his cheek. It travelled down the slope of his tight jaw, and dripped off his chin.

The small droplet of salt-water evaporated before it hit the floor.

Then another came, and another, and another, and I watched his chest tighten as his tried to suppress the choking sobs. With a calm I didn't know I had in me, I knelt before him and pulled his hand off his opposite arm, relieving the pain and putting out the fire. I placed finger underneath his chin, tilting it up, and used my free hand to thumb away the last of the tears.

"She's gone. I walked home and everything was just gone. But not like your parents are gone. It was burnt. To the ground." His voice was thick with emotion and he squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing onto one of my hands with both of his. I could see his jaw grow even more taut and he ground his teeth.

"There were super police everywhere. Overheard some of their conversations. Apparently the volatile son was the first suspect. But why would I do that? She was my mom! God dammit…" He tucked his head down as another tear crept past his defenses. "And because I wasn't at school today, I don't have an alibi, and they're going to lock me up with my father, and I have nowhere to go, and I'm afraid."

Suddenly, he wasn't Warren Peace anymore. He wasn't a tall, scary, anti-social pyrokinetic.

He was just a sad, frightened, teenage boy, who had no one and nothing and no place to call home.

I reached up and pulled his shaking form close to me. He slipped off my bed and onto his knees wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and dropping his head into the crook of my neck.

His tears dampened the material on my shoulder and my own started to fall once again. We just stayed there, on our knees, wrapped in each other's arms for what felt like an eternity.

And then my damn sister had to ruin it all.

I heard her climbing the stairs and I looked at Warren franticly. He wiped his face and pulled me to my feet as he spun in circles looking for a place to hide.

"Hey Kendra, there are police here to talk to you about your friend Peace. What's this about?" I ran over and leant out the window, but there were two cop cars outside my house. I turned and shook my head at Warren who pulled the tie out of his red-streaked hair and looked at me mischievously.

"What?" I whisper-yelled at him.

"An alibi." He whispered before stalking towards me. I started to back up, with a confused expression, but my ass hitting wall made my eyes turn slightly afraid.

My sister was knocking on my door, demanding I come out. My door flew open.

Just as Warren's body pressed against mine and his hands rested dangerously low on my hips.

He smiled at me warmly with a little bit of maniacal mixed in.

And suddenly, I knew exactly what Warren's lips tasted like.

**X**

**X**

**Thoughts? Until next time…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Jay-sus guys. The amount of support I've been getting for this story is amazing! I cannot believe how amazing you guys are, and I want to thank each and every one of you who took out time to read, follow, favorite, and review. With over fifty genuine reviews and nearly a hundred follows, seeing e-mails each day that you guys even bother; it just makes my life. So for you, the next chapter is here. Keep up the amazing work.**

**X**

Oh my god. He tasted, damn, like heaven. Like _heaven_. He was perfect, and the world was perfect, and I could feel his thumbs tracing circles on my hips, and I died a little inside.

And once again, my sister ruined it. "Kendra? Warren Peace? Damn girl. Damn."

He released me from his grasp and stepped away, leaving me confused and breathless. I turned to my sister and the gruff man beside her. "Excuse me sir? Do you have a warrant?"

Nice going Kendra. Way to seem innocent.

He held a blue piece of folded paper in front of my nose and grabbed my bicep roughly. "Ma'am, please come with us for some questioning. You too sir." His voice was the worst kind: nasally, and monotone.

I dug in my heels. "Are you arresting me? If so, I would like to know what for. Because that little blue paper says you have the right to search the premises, not to take the occupants for questioning. So either arrest me for something, or do what you're supposed to do, and search, then leave. I know my rights, so take your pick." I yanked my arm out of his grasp and folded both across my chest.

He looked down at me frustrated. "Well, then missy. I should arrest you for resisting a police officer."

"Really now?" I stared him down, as best as I could for being three inches shorter. "Since when is knowing your rights and calling people out on their mistakes 'resisting,' eh?" He blushed and angrily let go of me.

"Fine. I'll have to ask that you all go downstairs into the front room while we search." He had his mouth set in a hard line and turned to lead us down the stairs. My sister followed him first, then me, then Warren in the rear. We reached the end of the staircase and filled into the living room as a team of officers bounded upstairs and disappeared into different rooms.

My sister excused herself to make a phone call outside. An officer followed her, and Warren and I were stuck with the mean police chief. The gruff man pointedly gazed down at Warren, and the startled pyrokinetic grabbed my hand tightly. I rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand, trying to calm him down.

We only had to wait for about ten minutes before the team came down and left with the chief, without so much as a nod. In another minute, all the police cars had disappeared from the front of my house without a trace that they had been there.

Warren was still stuck in the same position, standing squarely, with his left hand in a tight fist, and his right holding my own hand with a bone-crushing grip. His face was set in an expression of grief, confusion, and barely contained rage.

I pried my fingers from his, and his eyes flew to mine with worry. "War, calm down. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. Shhh, calm down." I grabbed him in a tight hug around his neck, and his arms wrapped around my waist.

His head dropped to the crook of my neck, and for the second time that day, I felt his tears wet my shirt. We stood there, rocking back and forth, and I whispered little sweet nothings in his ear to try and get him to calm down. After a while the tears stopped, but Warren still stayed attached to me, slowly breathing in, turning his once choked sobs into steady breaths. My grip loosened slightly, and he took the hint, raising his head from my shoulders, but only slipping his large hands to my hips, holding me to him.

"Thanks Kendra. Sorry about that. It's just, you know…" He trailed off and removed one of his hands to rub it across the back of his neck as he blushed.

I smiled slightly. "Hey, it's no big deal. I'm in the same boat, remember? Now, I'm going to go see what's taking Taylor so long, and then we'll figure this out, but remember to stay calm, 'kay?" He gave me a slight nod and I pecked his cheek before padding over to the front door.

I pushed open the screen and stepped onto the porch. "Thank you…Yes…Goodbye." My sister pressed the end button on her phone. "Hey Kendra. Okay, so, here's what's going on. The police haven't informed the schools yet, so I called all three of us in sick. Powers was easy to persuade, but my principal, damn that crazy bitch. She took a while, but nevertheless, it's done. Until we can figure something else out, Warren will be staying in our guest room, and we'll go shopping tomorrow to pick up some stuff for him. Sound good?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll show Warren to his room. Come inside, it's getting chilly." She bobbed her head and followed me in.

"You guys got this? I'm gonna hit the sack. It's been a long day." We voiced affirmation, and she waved before jogging up the stairs and going into her room.

"M'kay, War, you'll be staying in the guestroom for the time being, cool?" All the while, we were walking up the stairs. I tapped a door. "This is Taylor's room, then the bathroom, then my room. Your room is right next to mine, on the right side. There's a door connecting your room to my room, another connecting my room to the bathroom, and another connecting the bathroom to Taylor's room. My parents put them there in case of an emergency." I walked into Warren's new bedroom and grabbed some sticky notes and a pen off the desk in the corner.

"Just remember," I said, slapping the sticky notes on all of the identical doors. "The one with the sticky note that says hall goes into the hall, the one that says Kendra goes into my room, the one that says closet is the closet, and the unmarked one goes into my parents' room. Don't worry about that one, it's locked." He looked utterly confused.

"Don't worry about it; it just takes a while to get used to. I'll leave our perforation unlocked, so just knock on that door if you need anything. Will you be fine?"

He looked at me with that scared and confused expression. "Fine?"

I sighed and grabbed his hand looking in his eyes. "Warren, do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

He nodded, blushing slightly. "Yeah, just for tonight."

I smiled slightly and tugged on his hand guiding him into my room. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to put on some pajamas. Do you need anything?" He shook his head, already shedding his jacket and sitting on my bed. I grabbed my clothes off my floor and slipped into the bathroom to change.

Damn. I looked like hell. I washed my face quickly and changed, throwing my clothes into the hamper under the sink. I paused with my hand on the silver handle of the door to my room, mentally preparing myself for this.

Jesus. It's just sleeping. Get over yourself.

I pulled the door open and saw a curled up Warren facing me. "Can I use the bathroom?"

I laughed a little breathily and made a gesture to the bathroom door. "Be my guest." He slowly stood up and winked at me before grabbing the knob.

"Nice pj's Kendra." He laughed a little and closed the door behind him. I glanced down at my loose gray tee and penguin covered shorts.

Smartass. But at least he was a smartass that was back to normal.

I nudged his shoes across my floor and climbed in between my sheets, scooting to the far side, gazing out my window, the one that didn't open, and faced away from the bathroom.

I forced my breathing to slow down, and after a while, I grabbed my phone off the night stand above my head and started scrolling through twitter.

What was taking Warren so long?

Almost immediately after that thought, the toilet flushed, and I heard the sink running for a moment before he opened the door.

I turned off my phone and plugged it in by feel, seeing as the only light was coming from my open windows.

"Hey Kendra."

"Yeah War?"

"Can I sleep in my boxers?"

All the blood drained from my face. I forced my voice to sound normal. "Um, sure." My sense of calm was broken, though, as my phone clattered to the nightstand. I turned to the window and held my breath.

He chuckled slightly and I heard clothes hitting the floor. My heartbeat sped up as the bed dipped and he crawled beneath the sheets, pulling them around both of us.

I scooted closer to the window, making space between us. But he was having none of that.

I heard his hand patting the bed before it made contact with my back. He then proceeded to run his hand along my side until it rested in the dip of my waist.

"Now, don't be like that." He slid his hand forward until it rested on my soft stomach, where my shirt rode up a little. He circled his middle finger around navel a few times before stilling his hand, spreading it wide across my front torso.

Then he pulled me back to him, so I could feel his hot chest through my thin shirt.

"There. That's better." He molded the rest of his body to my curled up form, and slipped one of his legs between mine. His arm curved securely around me, and clasped the back of one of my own hands, threading his fingers through the spaces. His other arm bent and rested under his own head.

Somehow, we fell asleep like that.

And I had never felt better.

**X**

**X**

**That was yummy to write. Leave me a review. Love ya.**


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